California eatery picks Cherry Creek for first Colorado location

Mendocino Farms is planting its first Colorado location in Cherry Creek’s newest office building.

The El Segundo, California-based restaurant chain signed a lease for the remaining 3,000 retail square feet at 320 N. Fillmore St., the company confirmed to BusinessDen.

“We look forward to bringing our fresh, flavorful, chef-driven sandwiches, salads and more to the residents and visitors of this fantastic neighborhood,” Mendocino CEO Kevin Miles said in a statement.

There is no opening date for the restaurant yet, a company spokeswoman said.

The chain’s menu consists primarily of soups, salads and sandwiches, ranging from a classic club sandwich to more unique offerings such as pork belly banh mi and a Peruvian steak sandwich.

The restaurant, founded in 2005 by husband-and-wife duo Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen, has primarily been concentrated in California, with dozens of locations from Sacramento to San Diego. It recently began expanding to Texas and Washington.

This deal makes the four-story building on the corner of 3rd and Fillmore, which was developed by Chicago-based Midwest Property Group, fully leased. The building’s other retail space was taken by Garbarini, a women’s boutique moving from elsewhere in the neighborhood.

Three tenants have taken the building’s office space. Mission Hill Hospitality appears to have the entire fourth floor, according to permit filings. Venture capital firm Konvoy has 5,000 square feet there, while Cobbs Allen Capital has the remaining space, according to previous BusinessDen reporting.